


Marriage of True Minds

by indubitably_dee (Delylah)



Series: The Soulmarked Series, a 2 Moons soulmate AU [2]
Category: 2 moons 2 - Fandom, เดือนเกี้ยวเดือน | 2 Moons - Chiffon_Cake, เดือนเกี้ยวเดือน | 2 Moons The Series (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24365287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delylah/pseuds/indubitably_dee
Summary: A stand-alone, happy ending one-shot for my Soulmarked series. Takes place towards the end of Ming's fourth year as an engineering student and Kit's fifth year as a medical student. (originally posted on Wattpad as part of a one-shot collection, but since it occurs in the same AU as "An Ever Fix'ed Mark" I decided to add it to the series instead)
Relationships: Ming Mingkwan Daichapanya/Kit Mongkol Intochar
Series: The Soulmarked Series, a 2 Moons soulmate AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761193
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	Marriage of True Minds

**Author's Note:**

> 1st note: Apologies in advance for the super saccharine, cavity-inducing story below. Explanation to follow after.

Kit leaned back against the tree he was standing under and checked his watch for the third time since he had arrived several minutes before. Then he re-checked his text messages, too. He was definitely at the right place at the right time, but there was still no sign of Ming. His irritation grew as his stomach growled loudly. He hoped Ming would arrive soon; he had to be at the hospital for his shift in an hour and a half.

_This annoying bastard. What does he mean by wasting any of the few minutes we can spend together by being late?_

On the heels of that thought came another: _What if something happened to him?_

Kit folded his arms and made an impatient, growling noise in the back of his throat as he scanned around the park again without catching a glimpse of Ming's familiar form loping towards him. It was unlike Ming to be late. If anything, he was more likely to be early for one of their dates; Kit often got out of one of his classes to find Ming already waiting for him whenever they had arrangements to meet. He'd always wondered if he bribed his professors to let him out of class early, or if his natural charm and his status as a former campus moon just made it that easy for him. 

No, it didn't make sense to Kit that Ming was late unless something bad had happened. He unlocked his phone and dialed Ming's number only to be sent straight to voicemail. A frisson of worry crept down his spine as he tried again. As far as he knew, the only time Ming ever let calls go to voicemail was when he was in a class or when he was with Kit, and his class should have been over twenty minutes ago. Kit glanced across the park to the busy road nearby, which Ming would have crossed on foot.

_What if..._

He shook his head emphatically _no._ That thought didn't even bear considering. He dialed a third time, and when the voicemail answered, growled into the receiver, "Ming, where the hell are you? I've been standing here waiting for almost ten minutes. You better not be playing one of your pranks!" Kit swallowed hard and then added in a softer tone, "At least call me and let me know you're okay."

He disconnected the call and took another look around, shading his eyes with his hands against the bright midday sun to see more clearly, but to no avail. There was no sign of Ming's handsome face, which Kit never failed to zero in on, even in a crowd.

"Naraaaak," he heard a voice call out, and the slight panic he had worked himself into turned instantly to relieved fury as he tilted his face up to find a pair of legs dangling from one of the branches above his head. Those legs were connected to a torso and head that leaned precariously over to wave at him, face alight with a mischievous gleam. "Kit-Kat, were you really worried about me?"

Rather than answer, Kit simply turned on his heel and stalked off, knowing Ming could easily overtake him in just a few strides. He heard a _thump_ behind him as Ming's feet hit the ground, followed by rapid thudding footsteps that raced to catch up with him. Ming circled around in front of him and halted in his path, throwing his arms out to the side to block him. Kit was forced to either stop or attempt to go around him; he knew if he did the latter that Ming would likely just grab him and toss him over his shoulder to keep him from getting away.

"Kit-Kat, don't be angry," Ming cajoled. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I've been waiting there since my class let out and you looked so little and cute from up there that I got carried away."

Ming fidgeted nervously with the ends of his tie, which hung loosely around his neck under his collar. As if to testify to the veracity of his story, his shirt buttons were undone to a point just above his navel to provide some relief from the heat. His shirt gaped open low enough to reveal the top pair of abdominal muscles sheathed in lightly tanned skin that glistened with perspiration in the sunlight. Again, Kit swallowed hard...but not from worry.

"Button your shirt," he ordered his junior in a low voice. "It's indecent to be walking around in public like that."

Ming glanced down in surprise, presumably having forgotten his state of disarray in his hurry to prevent Kit from leaving. At first, he gave Kit a sheepish, apologetic grin and reached for one of the buttons to fasten it. But upon noticing where Kit's gaze was focused, the grin dropped from his face. He stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of Kit, mere centimeters away. He reached for Kit's hands and placed them on the button plackets of his shirt and said in a low voice, "Why don't you button it for me?"

"Ai' Ming, are you crazy?" Kit hissed, jerking his hands away from Ming as if burned. "What will people think?"

"Don't care," Ming retorted, which Kit knew was the absolute truth. Ming truly didn't care what other people thought; he never had, not since Kit had first met him in high school. He did what he wanted and said what he thought without wasting a moment's concern over other people's opinions. That confidence was one of the things that had always aggravated Kit and at the same time filled him with admiration for the younger man.

"Guess it's not getting buttoned then," Ming said as he tugged the sides open further. "Doesn't bother me, the breeze feels great. Where should we eat?" he asked as he began to stroll towards the crowded sidewalk with his hands laced behind his head.

Already he was drawing attention; several younger female students walking towards him giggled behind their hands at the spectacle he made. The shirt was not only gaping open but also riding up enough to reveal a portion of his lower abdomen above the low-slung waistband of his trousers.

Kit would be damned if he would let a handful of freshmen girls ogle what was rightfully for his eyes only. He rushed to catch up with Ming and grabbed him by the shirt to tug him away from the girls, back towards the tree he had been sitting in earlier. The tree was one of the oldest in the park; it was large and gnarly, with a trunk that easily measured as big around as half a dozen men standing clustered together. The lower branches were thick and sturdy, capable of supporting the weight of two or three people with ease. Kit dragged Ming around to the lake-facing side of the tree so that they were hidden from passers-by. Once there, he backed him up against the trunk.

"You're really asking for it today, Nong," he muttered, taking a quick glance around to be sure no one was watching before doing up two of the offending buttons.

When he was finished, Ming tipped his finger beneath his chin and gently tilted his face up until Kit was looking into his eyes.

"According to you, I'm always asking for it," Ming teased. Kit felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears suffuse with heat as he caught Ming's double meaning. He slapped Ming lightly on the arm as punishment for embarrassing him.

"Ming! What's gotten into you?" he scolded. To his surprise, the naughty look in Ming's eyes softened to something more serious.

"Climb up there with me and I'll tell you," he said.

"Up there?" Kit echoed, aghast. "No! I have a shift at the hospital this afternoon; you know that!"

"Please, na khrab?" Ming begged with his hands pressed together. "Na, na, na?"

"No!" Kit said again. "I'll get my shirt dirty."

"You'll be wearing a lab coat anyway. Please?" Ming pleaded, stroking his thumb along Kit's jawline. "There's something I want to show you."

Kit couldn't imagine what Ming wanted to show him that was in a tree, but he knew there was no arguing with Ming when he was like this. The younger man was relentless when he wanted something and never failed to bend Kit to his way of thinking with sweet words and soft touches. It was easier just to give in.

"This better be quick," he grumbled, as he cast his eyes upward to give the branches overhead a wary look. He wasn't a big fan of heights. Perhaps it had something to do with being a little on the short side, but the thought of dangling his feet off of a branch the way Ming had earlier made him nervous.

"Want a boost?" Ming asked. Without waiting for an answer he placed his hands at Kit's waist and lifted him up so he could reach the first branch easily. When he was safely perched in the crook made by the trunk and the branch, Ming took a running leap to grab the same branch and swing his body up onto it. From there he climbed to the next branch with Kit watching in awe at the ease with which Ming deftly scaled the tree, perfectly comfortable reaching down to give Kit a helping hand up. They continued in this manner several times until they were further up than Kit wanted to think about.

"Last one," Ming said, wiggling his fingers when Kit seemed reluctant to proceed. "I'd never let you fall Kit. Please trust me? The view is worth it."

Something about being with Ming always made him feel safe, even when it came to climbing trees, so he reached up and grasped Ming's upper arm. Ming helped haul him upward until he was safely ensconced on the branch in front of him, cradled between Ming's thighs. Then he wrapped one arm securely around Kit's waist and eased him backward until he was sitting against Ming's chest.

"Ok?" Ming asked.

Kit nodded, not yet able to speak for the pounding of his heart from the exertion combined with the height and with Ming's proximity. Even after several years together, being this close to the younger man left him a needy wreck with fingertips that ached to touch the sweat-coated skin hidden beneath the shirt he'd been so insistent on buttoning. Kit inhaled deeply several times to calm himself, though the citrusy scent of Ming's aftershave tended to have the opposite effect. In this instance, however, he found it soothing, knowing that Ming would keep his promise never to let him fall. Finally, he was able to relax a bit in Ming's embrace.

"What did you want to show me?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Ming tightened his arms around Kit and asked, "Do you remember what today is?"

It was Tuesday. As far as Kit knew, there wasn't anything special about the day. It wasn't Valentine's Day or White Day or either of their birthdays. Then a thought occurred.

"Shiya. Is it the eighteenth already?" he asked, cringing already because he knew it must be.

"It is," Ming confirmed.

Kit felt awful. Three years ago to the day was the same day Ming had asked him to be his boyfriend for real when they had visited Kit's home together. It was their anniversary, and Kit hadn't even realized.

"Oh, Ming, I'm so sorry," he said, hoping to explain. "Everything has been so crazy at the hospital lately that I lost track of the date. It's not that I forgot, I just-"

"Shh, Kit-Kat, it's okay." Ming leaned forward just enough to hook his chin over Kit's shoulder. "I understand."

"But I-"

Ming turned Kit's head just enough to stop his protest with a gentle kiss. "Kit-Kat, stop. Just listen, okay?"

Kit nodded, but he couldn't help but feel terrible that he had messed up so badly. He would have made arrangements for someone to cover his shift if he'd realized in time. Now the day was ruined and it was all his fault.

"You know it's only a few months until I graduate," Ming said.

"Yes."

"I talked to my Dad this weekend. With everything that's been going on with this new virus, he doesn't want me to wait until I finish graduate school to help start up the new pharmaceutical division. By the time I'm finished with my B.S., he'll have a temporary lab ready to go until work on the new building is completed."

"Oh," Kit replied, surprised and a little disappointed.

Ming had been fretting over which school to complete his master's degree at all year. Kit fervently hoped he would continue with the graduate program at Kantaphat, which was where Kit was completing his medical degree. He knew, however, that Ming had been considering several other schools with chemical engineering programs - some a considerable distance from Kantaphat. Now he realized that he didn't even know where the headquarters for Ming's family's company was located. He knew that wherever Ming was, they would still make an effort to see each other as often as possible, but with his crazy schedule, the further away Ming was, the more difficult it would be to see him.

Kit had insisted they keep separate dorms when his clinical rotations started. There would be days when he and Ming were on opposite schedules, and he didn't want to interfere with Ming's ability to sleep or study - though the excuse he had given Ming was that sometimes he needed to be able to sleep without Ming bumbling around making noise. However, he was accustomed to seeing Ming for at least a few minutes each day, even on the days and nights they didn't spend together. And while he might not admit it to anybody, especially to Ming, those minutes, no matter how few, were the ones he most looked forward to each day. The thought of being separated from him for a considerable length of time made him feel queasy.

"Don't worry, I'll still be able to work on my master's," Ming assured him. "My thesis is worth half the credits required, and since it will coincide with my work in the labs, I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. Most of the other work can be done online."

Kit nodded, but it was sounding more and more like they were in for at least a year-long separation. He cleared his throat and tried to think of something to say that would be supportive and selfless.

"That sounds amazing," he said, hoping the dismay he felt wasn't obvious.

"Will you miss me?" Ming asked, his voice low in Kit's ear.

 _Yes. More than anything,_ Kit thought. _Why did you choose today of all days to tell me this, you asshole?_

"I already miss you," Kit said, leaning back into Ming and turning his head to nestle into the crook of his neck. "Why do you think I got so upset when you were late? Today was the first day we had enough time for lunch together in two weeks."

Ming turned to press a kiss against Kit's forehead.

"Look over there," he said and pointed to a spot straight ahead of them. "See the funny shaped building on the other side of those two taller ones?"

Kit followed his gaze and finally spotted the building in question. It was modern looking compared to the older ones Ming had pointed out, which were part of the university campus. This building was constructed with glass and steel. He had often walked past it on the way to get something to eat but had never paid much attention to it, other than to note there were commercial real estate signs affixed to the outside walls.

"Dad closed the deal on it last month, and the labs on the first two floors are being retro-fitted as we speak. They'll be ready for research work by the time I graduate."

Kit sat up so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. He clutched desperately at Ming's legs to steady himself. Ming just chuckled and once again wrapped both arms around Kit.

"Careful Kit-Kat, or you'll kill us both," he warned. 

"Not funny!" Kit complained as a surge of adrenaline sent his heart racing again. "Ming, are you serious? You don't have move away?"

"Na, Kit, of course I'm serious. No way I could do without my daily dose of Kit-Kat. I'm addicted, remember?" 

Relief surged through Kit, followed by irritation. He knew he should be used to the roller-coaster ride that was life with Ming Daichapanya, but the younger man still managed to surprise him from time to time. Kit began slapping at Ming's thigh in retaliation for scaring him.

"Ming... _(slap!)_...You... _(slap!)_...Crazy... _(slap!)_...Bastard!"

At the time time, Ming was going, "Ow. Ow! OW!" but still laughing. He finally managed to grab Kit's hands to hold them still.

"Sorry, Kit-Kat. You're so cute when you're angry it's hard not to tease you sometimes. Don't be upset with me, okay, khrab?"

"Hmph," Kit grumbled, but he relaxed back against Ming anyway, too relieved to stay angry for long. He closed his eyes and nudged Ming's jaw with the top of his head. "You had to drag me all the way up here to show me a building?"

"We could have walked over there" Ming replied, "but I thought this would have more impact. Especially since I have one, no, two more things to tell you."

"What's the first?" Kit asked

"The company is paying me a large enough sign-on bonus to afford a down-payment on a condo. I thought we could start looking for one soon."

The pesky lump in Kit's throat was back with a vengeance. If he was honest with himself, one of the reasons he insisted on keeping a separate dorm room was because deep down he was still the same insecure boy he'd been in high school that knew Ming would never look twice at someone as completely ordinary as Kit felt he was. When he'd agreed to be Ming's boyfriend three years ago, he'd been sure it would only be a few weeks before Ming's interest faded and he moved on to someone else.

But he thought maybe it was time to have a little faith in Ming.

"Ok."

"Come on Kit, it's been three-" Ming began, then his fingers gripped Kit's sides as he registered his reply. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said okay," Kit repeated, hoping his voice didn't sound as tremulous to Ming as it sounded to him. "Let's do that."

After all, he'd already agreed to marry the man just a couple of months ago. However, as Ming hadn't brought that subject up again, Kit was beginning to wonder if he'd forgotten about it or if he'd been joking after all, despite his claims to the contrary. Come to think of it, he was oddly silent now, considering the affirmative response he'd received. When Kit risked a glance at him, he was looking up towards the sky, blinking rapidly to try to hide the moisture welling up in his eyes.

"Ming? Are you okay?" Kit asked.

"Yeah. Just something in my eye," came the unconvincing reply.

"Really? Both eyes? _Tch,_ I don't know if I want to move in with someone who tells such lies," Kit teased.

"Shut up," Ming retorted, laughing as he ducked his head against Kit's shoulder and sniffed. "Anyway, it's too late. You already promised."

They were quiet for a while, enjoying a moment of peace that their busy lives rarely afforded them lately. Then a thought occurred to Kit.

"You said two more things," he said. 

"Uh-huh," Ming said, nodding against Kit's shoulder.

Kit waited, but when Ming still said nothing, he prodded, "Well? Are you going to tell me the second one?"

Ming still didn't say anything, and Kit began to panic again, afraid that whatever it was, it must be something bad if Ming couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Ming, you're scaring me! Is someone in your family sick? Wait, are you sick? Do we need-"

Ming lifted his head from Kit's shoulder and pulled him back against his chest so that he could stifle his words with another kiss - one that sweet and lingering to the point that Kit couldn't help but twist in Ming's embrace to thread his fingers into his hair.

"That's twice you were worried about me today," Ming murmured when he broke away, giving Kit a gentle smile. "Ah, don't argue," he added when Kit opened his mouth to protest. "I have the evidence recorded in my voice mail, and I'm keeping it."

Kit grumped at him to cover his embarrassment. "Hmmph! Quit stalling! Tell me the third thing before I fall out of this damned tree."

"Okay, okay. Do you remember I asked you a question a few weeks ago?"

 _Oh. He didn't forget, after all,_ Kit thought. 

Something about the soft, nervous expression on Ming's face turned his insides to a quivering mass of jelly, but he did his best to preserve his usual stoic facade in front of his boyfriend and nodded.

"In the middle of the mall. Of course, I remember," he replied in a dry tone. "How could I forget?"

Ming fished a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Kit. "Well, now you can tell our grandchildren that I proposed to you in a tree instead."

Kit slid the lid of the small box up to reveal a smaller velvet-covered case inside. Lying on the top was a folded piece of notepaper. When he unfolded it to find a note written in English. It read:

_Ming and Kit-Kat sitting in a tree  
_ _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_  
_First comes love,  
_ _Then comes marriage._

When he opened the box, it contained two black bands, one lined in blue with a blue stone, the other lined in a silvery-white with a stone that was clear.

"Will you marry me, Kit-Kat?"

"Ai' Ming, I don't exactly have a choice, do I?"

"Huh?" replied Ming, sounding confused.

"This was a trap! If I say no, you'll just refuse to help me down until I change my mind!" 

Kit swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, and Ming's crestfallen expression morphed into one of patient understanding.

"Exactly."

Ming pulled the ring with the light-blue stone out of the box and held it out to Kit, dropping it into his upturned palm. From there Kit could see the engraving on the inside: _Ming's Earth._ Kit picked it up and handed it back to Ming, then he turned his hand so that the palm was facing down to allow Ming to slip the ring onto his finger. Next he removed the second ring from the box himself, not really needing to check that the inscription read _Kit's Moon_ on the inside. With hands that were trembling slightly, he slid the ring onto Ming's finger, then curled their fingers together.

"Ming, I-"

"OI! ARE YOU TWO EVER COMING DOWN FROM THERE?" someone called out from below.

"-love you," Kit finished, giving his startled boyfriend one last, quick kiss. Then he shouted down, "FUCK YOUUU AI' BEAM!"

When they finally reached the base of the tree safely, Beam, Forth, Pha and Wayo were standing around waiting for them with knowing grins and a huge picnic hamper. Wayo moved immediately to wrap Kit in an overly-enthusiastic hug.

"Congratulations," he said, eyes sparkling with excitement. "It was so hard to keep this a secret; I'm glad it's finally here."

One by one the others congratulated them too, with Pha adding, "If you ever need me to kick his ass, just let me know."

"Ai' Pha, this fool taught me Muay Thai. I can kick his ass myself if I need to," Kit chided.

His boast elicited a laugh from each of them as well as a blush from Ming because it was true. Suddenly, Kit remembered he was due on shift and glanced at his watch. He had exactly ten minutes to make it to the teaching hospital, which was several blocks from the park.

"Shiya, I'm gonna be late!"

"Easy, Kitty," Beam said. "Your man-candy arranged it so you can hang out with us for a while to celebrate."

Ming nodded.

"I couldn't get you the entire shift, but P' Summer agreed to stay an extra two hours to cover you. This was the only time I could manage to get everybody together," he explained.

"Thanks," Kit said, touched that Ming had put so much thought into planning what had appeared at first to be an impromptu engagement party. 

He hoped no one noticed how red his eyes must be, judging by the sting of tears in them. After giving him a sideways glance, Ming released his hand and moved to stand behind him. Then he placed his hands on either side of Kit's waist and gave him a quick squeeze as he leaned down to speak in his ear.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get off shift tonight. Then we can work on making some progress on the next part of the rhyme."

Kit was puzzled for a moment, then he remembered the folded up note he'd found enclosed with the box and ran through the English children's rhyme in his head. By the time he reached the words _"baby carriage,"_ Ming had already ducked behind Forth, both of them cackling as Kit dove at him.

"Ai' Ming!!!!"

*****

When Kit arrived at the hospital for his shift later that evening, he thanked P' Summer profusely for covering for him. 

"It was no problem, Kit. But, um, you'll have to give me the details later this week over coffee," she replied, hiding a smile behind her hand as her gaze drifted up to the crown of Kit's head.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Summer circled behind him and reached up to pluck something from his hair. As she handed Kit a small, green leaf, he was mortified to realize he'd been wandering around the entire afternoon with something stuck in his hair and none of his friends had said a word. Before he could stammer an explanation, Summer held up his right hand - the one which now bore his engagement ring.

"Details," she repeated. "Don't forget you owe me!"

After she left, Kit studied the tiny leaf with a fond smile before he pocketed it. Perhaps someday he'd show it to his grandchildren when he told them the story of how their grandfathers got engaged after kissing in a tree. 

**Author's Note:**

> 2nd Author's Note: This story is technically a follow up to my one-shot "Careless Whispers" and occurs a couple of months later. It is also, as far as I am concerned, a future outtake for "An Ever Fix'ed Mark" although I don't mention anything about soulmates or soulmarks in this story so it stands alone. 
> 
> This story is inspired by Rothrorien's gorgeous illustration of Ming waiting for Kit in a tree, posted on Twitter. I might have been able to leave it alone because I have plenty of other stories I should be working on...except then I visited a handy prompt generator that gave me the following prompt:
> 
> Your prompt: Ming and Kit literally sitting in a tree, kissing.
> 
> You understand that I just couldn't let it go, right? Besides, I love writing Kit and Ming, even when they frustrate me because their story comes to me in bits and pieces rather than chronologically. As for what will they do for a wedding, maybe I will get to that, eventually. I will try my best to have a new chapter of "An Ever Fix'ed Mark" up this weekend. 
> 
> (no photo, I'll post a link to Rothrorien's gorgeous art in the comments, and in keeping with AEFM tradition since this *is* that Kit and Ming, the title is from the Shakespeare sonnet that gave me the idea for An Ever Fix'ed Mark in the first place, #116)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and especially for taking the time to vote and/or comment. (Hi, trying to decide if I am going to cross-post my 2 Moons stories here, currently everything is on Wattpad)


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